


What a Tail

by leontina (Leontina)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, Naga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-27 03:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2677967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leontina/pseuds/leontina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco is left in an unusual position, and Harry is the only person who can help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What a Tail

**Author's Note:**

  * For [izzie-frutas](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=izzie-frutas).



> Thank you very much to the mods for allowing me the extra time I needed, and thank you to H for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are my own. For the sake of this story, Harry never lost the ability to speak Parseltongue.

*  
Draco closed his eyes and felt the warm rush of magic flow over his skin. It tingled slightly – he had been warned it would – but the feeling wasn't painful, but rather uncomfortable.

When the tingling stopped, Draco opened his eyes and looked in the mirror.

The reflection showed a large snake with shimmering blue scales that were highlighted nicely by the occasional white and silver ones. The eyes of the snake were glowing but otherwise human looking, which Draco was pleased to note. He smiled, but all the snake did was flick out its forked tongue.

The snake was unnaturally large – human sized, really – but Draco presumed he was an unknown magical breed. After all, the Dark Lord's snake, Nagini, had been massive. Draco was happy with his form though; his father would consider it an honour, in fact.

Pleased with his results, Draco concentrated on his magic and focused on transforming back to human.

The magic tingled across his skin again, but this time the feeling was freezing cold and had an edge of pain to it.

Draco glanced in the mirror again, his still glowing grey eyes widening at what he saw. The top half of him had transformed back to human, but the bottom half of him was still a massive snake tail. He shut his eyes and focused on the magic again.

That time, there was no tingle at all.

Draco's breathing picked up as the transformation failed over and over again. His heart pounded against his chest, and Draco felt like it might burst through his skin at any given moment.

But as he surveyed the monstrous tail where his legs should be, Draco wondered if that would be such a bad thing.

*

Harry cursed as hot coffee fell from his mug and onto his skin. Cradling his hand to himself, he hurried to the fireplace so he could answer the call that had made him jump.

There were only two possibilities for a Floo call this early. Either something terrible had happened or…

"Hermione," Harry greeted, stifling a yawn. "What're you up so early for?"

From the state of her frazzled hair and the bags under her eyes, Harry could safely guess that it was work related.

"I had an emergency client at work," Hermione answered, confirming Harry's theory. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I've been awake a while," Harry replied quietly. He'd been awake for two hours now - since half three – and he hadn't exactly been sleeping peacefully before that.

Hermione bit down on her lip. "I can get you some more Dreamless Sleep potion if you need it," she suggested hopefully. "I can find alternative ingredients in case you're worried about taking too much."

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly, his words coming out a bit harsher than intended. "Why did you Floo?"

Hermione's eyes glanced to the side briefly. "I could really do with your help with this client."

That wouldn't be the first time Hermione had asked. Hermione had done her Healer training at St Mungo's, but had been appalled at the treatment of magical creatures, Squibs, and the mentally ill. Once she qualified, Hermione had opened her own private clinic for the people that St Mungo's were reluctant to help.

Harry, meanwhile, had quit Auror training after a couple of months; crime fighting was too much for him after the war. Instead, Harry turned his attention onto campaigning for better rights for magical creatures – Hermione called him an activist.

But due to his increased knowledge of magical creatures, Hermione often called Harry in to work in that department in various non-Healing positions.

"What's the client's situation?" Harry asked, watching Hermione's reaction carefully. He knew she couldn't disclose anything over Floo, but he could always judge how serious something was by Hermione's facial expression.

And the way her lips thinned and forehead crinkled told Harry that the situation was quite serious.

"You know I can't discuss that over Floo, Harry," Hermione scolded gently. "But I really do need you – now, preferably. I'm mostly stuck until you get here."

That was unusual. "Just let me clean myself up and I'll be right over."

When Harry finally arrived at Hermione's clinic half an hour later, his friend was waiting for him with her hands clasped together tightly.

"Wonderful, you're here," she exclaimed, pulling Harry into a brief hug. "He's just down this hall."

Harry struggled to keep up with Hermione's fast pace, and he nearly crashed into her when she came to a sudden stop in front of a door. She glanced at him and gave him an encouraging smile before she pushed the door open and stepped inside the room.

Harry followed her, and stopped dead in his tracks. He was vaguely aware of Hermione greeting a very upset looking Pansy Parkinson, but Harry's full attention was on the being that looked like Draco Malfoy.

It was Malfoy on the top half at least, even if his skin was very faintly pale blue and his grey eyes were glowing. But the bottom half of Malfoy was a massive snake tail that was coiled around so Malfoy was standing at his normal height. The scales were pale blue and shimmering, highlighted by occasional white and silver scales.

Harry had never seen anything like it.

"Great, Potter is exactly who I needed," Malfoy muttered darkly, the tip of his tail flicking from side to side.

"I'm here to help you," Harry retorted angrily. Couldn't Malfoy let their past slide for the moment? Harry was able to stay professional, at least for the most part. "But if you'd rather I…" he trailed off, suddenly aware of two pairs of eyes on his back. "What?" he questioned, turning around to face Hermione and Parkinson.

"You can understand him?" Hermione asked slowly. Parkinson looked a lot more hopeful all of a sudden.

"Of course I can understand him," Harry replied blankly. "Why wouldn't I…? Oh." Realisation dawned on him. Malfoy was half snake. Harry could speak snake. "Did what we just say sound like a load of hissing to you two then?"

The women nodded, and Harry now knew why Hermione was so desperate for his help.

"I need you to translate for us," Hermione said, clarifying what Harry had suspected. "Can you ask him how he got like this? I can't risk any charms or potions until I know – I don't want anything to react with something else."

Harry nodded, turning his attention back to Malfoy. The other man was watching him impatiently, his arms folded across his chest and his fingers drumming on his skin.

"How did you get like this?" Harry asked.

Malfoy stared at Harry angrily for a moment, and the black of his eyes narrowed into slits. He took a deep breath before he answered. "I had just completed my Animagus transformation. I came out as a beautiful looking snake," Malfoy answered, sparing a look at Hermione. "It, ah, didn't go so well turning back. And will you tell Granger to stop those pathetic pitiful looks?!"

Harry blinked. "He got stuck trying to turn back from his Animagus form," he translated for Hermione, choosing not to repeat the last of Malfoy's words. "Can you understand English?" he hissed to Malfoy.

Malfoy shrugged. "Bits and pieces."

Harry told Hermione that as well, and she nodded thoughtfully.

"If it's just the Animagus that's caused this," Hermione started, "then I should be able to cast the reversal spell on Draco to fix it. Can you tell him I'm about to do that, please?"

Harry did so, and then Hermione cast the spell. But rather than enveloping Malfoy in blue light and forcing his body back to humanity, the light stopped at Malfoy's body like it had hit a brick wall, and faded away quickly.

Hermione pursed her lips, casting the spell again but once again it had no effect.

"What's happening?" Parkinson asked sharply, looking between Malfoy and Hermione with suspicious eyes. "Why isn't it working?"

"It can't be part of his Animagus form," Hermione muttered quietly, more to herself than anyone else. She shook her head, hurrying over to the book shelf. "Harry, can you make up a pot of tea, please?"

They spent the next few hours poring over textbooks, but to no avail. While Animagi had been known to be stuck with animal parts, the reversal spell always managed to sort the problem out. Hermione was trying to narrow down whether Malfoy's affliction was because of a potion or a hex, but the possibilities were so broad that the group was having a lot of difficulty.

"Right," Hermione declared, getting to her feet and knocking the desk in the process. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do until I know what's caused this. However, I will make researching this case my priority; Healers Lovegood and Weasley can take over the rest of the clinic."

"What about Draco?!" Parkinson shrieked, jumping to her feet as well. "He can't live like…like _this_!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do at this moment in time," Hermione repeated. "By all means take him to St Mungo's for a second opinion if-"

"I'm _not_ taking him there," Parkinson seethed, looking affronted by the mere thought of the hospital. "But what's he supposed to do in the meantime? Live in a Muggle zoo?"

"Not at all," Hermione said. "He will be able to live at home, and I can provide a live-in carer to make sure he's getting full support."

"Yeah?" Parkinson sneered. "And who's qualified to look after someone in Draco's situation?"

Harry was suddenly aware of Hermione's eyes on him.

"Harry will do it."

*

Harry was not happy about the situation. He wasn't happy at all.

But neither was Malfoy, so that was something.

As Harry was the only one that could understand Malfoy, Hermione had reasoned he was the only one suitable to keep an eye on him. Harry had learnt basic Healing skills so he could deal with any minor incidents, and he could ensure that Malfoy got what he needed just by being able to talk to him.

It really wasn't a bad job – it was the Malfoy part that bothered Harry.

While he didn't hold any grudges against their past, Harry was struggling with the present Malfoy. He was just so moody and snappy; Harry could understand why all of his own friends had been so annoyed by him during their fifth year. And Harry supposed that Malfoy had good reason to be moody – being turned into half a snake couldn't be easy.

Malfoy lived in a small cottage on a cliff by the sea. It was very isolated, and the wind howled outside and rattled the windows. The inside was old-fashioned and decorated sparsely, which made it look as bleak as it was outside.

It was nothing like Harry would have imagined Malfoy's home. He had imagined a massive manor with expensive furniture, priceless artifacts, and a small army of House-elves.

"There's only one bedroom," Malfoy said dismissively as he led Harry into the cold house. A well-aimed spell lit up the fire, and Harry only just resisted the urge to warm his hands in front of it. "You can transfigure something into a bed in the lounge if you want."

"I'll be fine with the sofa," Harry answered quickly; it wasn't like he slept much, anyway.

Malfoy looked at him strangely but didn't comment further.

"Look, we both know that neither of us is exactly happy with this situation," Malfoy said, and Harry nodded in agreement. "So you're going to agree to what I'm about to say and it will be easier for us both. First of all, we'll stay out of each other's way unless I need you for something. Secondly, you won't invite your friends over, and I won't invite mine. And thirdly, you are not to breathe a word about my, ah, _situation_ to anyone, so if anyone asks just tell them that I've hired you as a domestic while I have Magical Influenza."

"Domestic?" Harry repeated, raising an eyebrow. Malfoy scowled at him but said nothing, his whole body tensed as if waiting for Harry to argue. "Fine, whatever," he agreed; it was as good a cover story as anything. "But how do you propose we avoid each other in such a small place?"

"Small?" Malfoy growled, folding his arms across his chest. His tails was flicking from side-to-side quickly, and Harry was glad Malfoy's Animagus form hadn't been a rattle snake; that could have got irritating quickly. "I'll have you know that I picked this house because it was plenty large enough for one person without being cramped and crowded like that Weasley shack you were so fond of."

"Well I'll just leave if you feel that way," Harry retorted, switching back to English. He had no intention of leaving, of course – Hermione would kill him – but the lack of Parseltongue had the desired effect.

"Speak Parseltongue under this roof," Malfoy said darkly, his glowing eyes pulsing. Harry found himself staring at the glow, entranced by it. His feet began to carry themselves forward and towards Malfoy, his mind pleasantly clear of any other thoughts. "Potter?"

The voice brought Harry to an abrupt halt, and the glow in Malfoy's eyes ebbed away until it reached the gentle glimmer it had been.

"Was that a spell?" Harry asked, though he could see no wand.

"What are you on about? Why were you-?"

"Your eyes were glowing," Harry explained, pointing towards his own. "I mean, they were glowing even more than usual – they drew me in."

Malfoy frowned, and his puzzled expression told Harry that it hadn't been intentional.

"Animagi don't have magical abilities," Malfoy said slowly, and Harry remembered both Sirius and Professor McGonagall saying the same thing in the past.

"I'll let Hermione know," Harry sighed.

*

"Did you even try?" Harry translated, his tone a lot calmer than Malfoy's furious one had been.

"Draco, I-" Hermione started to say, but she was cut off by Malfoy's furious ranting.

"Two weeks of research and trials and all you could come up with was a series of useless potions? What am I even paying you for? I heard you were supposed to be the best Healer in the business, but I see now that that's not true. You're useless, Granger! A useless, waste of space who should sell herself to St Mungo's along with the other useless Healers."

"He isn't very happy," Harry said once Malfoy had finished his rant. Even though Hermione hadn't understood Malfoy's words, she still seemed visibly upset by the rambling.

"Harry, please tell Draco that I really did try," she said quietly. "I thought the magical element meant that it was a hex or curse, but it seems not. I just don't understand…"

"It's alright, Hermione," Harry murmured softly, rubbing the top of her arm gently. He saw Malfoy's eyes narrow at the gesture and he wondered why.

In the two weeks since Harry had been living with Malfoy, not much had happened between them. Malfoy stuck to his bedroom most of the time, only coming out to boss Harry about every so often – he seemed to think a snake tail made him incapable of doing household chores.

Malfoy had come over to him once while Harry was cooking and simply stood there watching, completely silent. It had been an odd comfort to Harry though, but perhaps he had simply been lonely for too long without realising. It had been four years since he had quit the Aurors and split up with Ginny, and he had been mostly alone ever since.

"There's still a chance that it is a rare hex or curse that has more complicated properties," Hermione muttered, more to herself than Harry. "Pansy and I can consult some of the older tomes as our next area of research."

"Pansy?" Harry queried, grinning at his friend.

"She's not so bad once you get to know her," Hermione said sheepishly, her cheeks shining a bright red. "I better get going. Tell Draco I won't give up on him."

Harry turned to Malfoy and told him so, but Malfoy was too busy glaring at Hermione to reply.

"Do you like Hermione?" Harry asked Malfoy once Hermione had left. "You seem…" jealous? That's what it looked like to Harry, but he had never been good when it came to understanding feelings and emotions in other people.

Malfoy snorted, and the disgust etched on his face was easily recognisable, even to Harry. "Granger? As if!"

"But she's really pretty and-"

"And female," Malfoy interjected. "I am very much gay, Potter, so don't worry; your girlfriend is safe."

That time Harry laughed at the insinuation, much to Malfoy's irritation. "I'm not dating Hermione, Malfoy – she's just a friend."

"You seem awfully cosy for friends," Malfoy stated, and the glow in eyes was beginning to pulse again. The one thing they had learnt was that the glow and the power was linked to Malfoy's emotions, and Harry was surprised to learn that usually Malfoy could keep his emotions in check. Harry could never manage that.

"We're just friends," Harry repeated. "I play for the same team as you."

That wasn't strictly true – Harry identified as bisexual – but Malfoy didn't need to know that. He couldn't help but be satisfied at the way Malfoy's eyes widened in surprised.

Malfoy huffed, lifting his chin before slithering away and towards the kitchen. Harry winced as he heard the bangs and clatters of pots, and hurried after Malfoy.

The man was tidying up the kitchen by hand, throwing dirty plates into the sink and slamming drawers shut as he put cutlery away.

"Malfoy," Harry called, hurrying over to the other man. "You're going to break something – stop it!"

"Cast Reparo then," Malfoy snarled. A glass of water was knocked onto the floor, smashing into pieces and spilling liquid everywhere.

"Just…calm down," Harry shouted, clearing the mess from the floor with a wave of his wand. "Look; I know this must be hard for you but-"

"You know that, do you?" Malfoy said, his voice now a deadly calm. "Do you know? Do you know what it's like to lose your legs and have them replaced with a massive snake tail? Do you know what it's like to lose the ability to speak your language and get stuck with only _one_ person? Or how you hope desperately for a cure yet nothing seems to work, even when you get the best that money can buy and-"

"It's been two weeks," Harry cut in, hesitating for a moment before placing his hand very gently on Malfoy's shoulder. Malfoy tensed for just a moment, but his body soon relaxed under Harry's fingers. "You've got to give it a bit more time; Hermione's trying really hard."

"She's not the one stuck with a snake tail though, is she?" Malfoy retorted bitterly. He spoke quieter than he had been before though, which Harry hoped was a good sign.

"No," Harry agreed. "She's not. How about I tidy this stuff up and make us some dinner? Then you can tell me all about how much you hate this situation."

Malfoy looked at Harry suspiciously for a moment – then he smirked. "Oh, you'll regret saying that, Potter."

*

Harry awoke to the smell of bacon.

It was enough to make his feet willing to move out of the sofa-bed to carry him to the kitchen, where he found Malfoy busy with two frying pans and a kettle.

"Black coffee, two sugars," Malfoy said as way of greeting. He slid a mug over to Harry, who gratefully took a sip of the hot, bitter liquid. "How you take sugar in your drink is something I'll never understand. Have a seat."

Harry did so, his mind now awake enough to realise what it was exactly that Malfoy was doing.

"I didn't take you as the sort to cook breakfast, what with the way I've been cooking all the time I've been here," Harry said, taking another sip of coffee.

"Yes, well…" Malfoy said, clearing his throat. He stood up straighter, and the scales of his tail glimmered in the sunlight that was beginning to stream in through the window. "As you said last night, it's only been two weeks. I am still a skilled wizard despite my current affliction, and it's no good moping around like an angsty teenager – during the night I had the horrid epiphany that I was acting like a younger version of you."

Harry flushed. "I _was_ a teenager," he pointed out. "But good on you. For wanting to live like normal, I mean."

And that was what Malfoy did.

As time went on, Malfoy got more involved in his own housework and stopped treating Harry like a servant. Malfoy would cook and clean, he would hum to the music on the Wireless, and he would curl his tail up on the sofa while he read a book.

Malfoy never left the house, though, and his only real company was Harry. He hadn't said anything, but Harry suspected that Malfoy didn't want to be seen in public as he was. It was understandable for someone like Malfoy, who held a lot of pride in their appearance.

But as a result of Malfoy's reluctance to go outside, Harry had been getting to know him a lot better than he had. Though they had outgrown the arguing phase, Harry had thought right from the start that he and Malfoy would never be friends.

It turned out, however, that Malfoy wasn't all that bad. He liked the same Quidditch team as Harry, he had a good, witty sense of humour, and conversation flowed easily between them. Malfoy could still be arrogant and annoying, yes, but Harry had begun to see past that now.

Of course, it helped that Malfoy was attractive, even with the snake tail. His upper body was well formed, his cheekbones were wonderful, and his hair looked like a cloud. He put Harry's scrawny, messy looking self to shame.

"I'll get better soon," Malfoy said confidently, tilting his chin upwards almost smugly. "The tail is a burden, yes, but it won't be one I have to live with much longer."

Unfortunately for Malfoy, that was not entirely true.

*

Harry had woken in the middle of the night again, and found himself unable to get back to sleep. He had picked up a book on mythological creatures at random, and was idly flipping through the pages when he came across a picture of a half-human, half-snake being.

The title at the top of the page read ‘ _Nagas_ ' , and had a small paragraph detailing what a Naga was. Apparently they were creatures from Indian mythology, but there were theories that they actually existed and lived in underwater caves. The Muggle version stated that Nagas protected the water and nature, while the Wizarding version stated that Nagas had magical powers and the ability to control others. Nagas were rumoured to have mated with witches and wizards long ago, but public fear of the creatures drove them into isolation. Of course, most believed that Nagas were purely mythological, but Harry wasn't friends with Luna for nothing.

Harry's fingers froze above the page. The information was brief so Harry couldn't be sure, but Malfoy being a Naga could certainly be a possibility. True, he had absolutely no idea how Malfoy could have _become_ a Naga, but the blond did have the snake tail and controlling abilities that was mentioned in the book.

Maybe it was a long-shot, and Harry could be completely wrong, but it was a theory.

Hermione had had plenty of theories about Malfoy, and so far none of them had been proved, so it was at least worth mentioning.

Malfoy, however, did not appreciate the theory when Harry mentioned it to him later in the day.

"I am _not_ a beast," Malfoy hissed, folding his arms across his chest. Harry quickly averted his gaze as the glow of Malfoy's eyes began to pulse. "How can you even suggest that? My bloodline is not sullied-"

"Creature blood won't sully anything," Harry interrupted hotly. "I did a march just last month where I shouted that to everyone in Diagon Alley."

"I know – I was there," Malfoy muttered. "You made a scene of yourself, Potter. But it's bad enough being stuck with this tail; how should I react to the possibility that I'm a creature who will be like this forever? No, I'm much happier believing that I've been hexed. Besides, you said most believe that Nagas are mythological only."

"But they might not be," Harry pressed on, gesturing pointlessly with his hands as he spoke. "And it _could_ be a possibility, even if you don't want it to be. The book said that some Nagas mated with witches and wizards, so there could be distant blood in your family."

"So why isn't the rest of my family slithering around?" Malfoy argued, and Harry finally brought his gaze back to Malfoy. The beaming silver glow had intensified, but Malfoy seemed to have realised as he looked down at the floor. "I don't want to be a freak, Potter; I'm not like you. My friends and family won't accept this – Pansy is the one exception – and _I_ can't accept this. This can't be my life, and I refuse to accept it as an option."

"Denial never works, Malfoy," Harry said, speaking from experience. "I'm probably wrong with this theory anyway but-"

"You are wrong," Malfoy cut in, finally looking up again. The glow to his eyes was ebbing down to the dull glow it was at usually, and with a clear head Harry could admit it was entrancing. All of Malfoy was, really.

"But it doesn't hurt to look into it; at least then you'll know," Harry finished, offering Malfoy a small smile. "And I'd accept you as you are. Hermione would; Ron…wouldn't, but that's mainly because he hates you – not Nagas -, and Luna would-"

"Alright, I get it!" Malfoy hissed; Harry narrowly avoiding having his legs swiped by Malfoy's tail. "But who would want _this_ me in the long-term? That's right – nobody. There better be a cure for me, because otherwise I'm going to spend the rest of my life lonely, and-"

The rest of his words were cut off as Harry stopped his rambling the only way he could think of – by kissing Malfoy.

Malfoy's lips were warm and he tasted like coffee. Malfoy tensed, and Harry pulled back, horrified at his reckless action.

"I'm so sorry, Malfoy," he said quickly, holding his hands in the air. "I didn't-"

That time it was Harry's turn to be shut up via kissing, as Malfoy surged forwards and covered Harry's mouth with his own. Malfoy's thick tail wrapped around Harry's lower legs and pulled him closer; Harry was only saved from stumbling by Malfoy's arms around his body.

Harry kissed Malfoy back, matching the passionate intensity of the other man. He wrapped his arms around the back of Malfoy's neck, bringing him deeper into the kiss.

There was what almost felt like electricity flowing between them, and Harry knew then that he wouldn't be able to give up Malfoy anytime soon.

*

Admittedly, it turned out that dating a Naga – or not a Naga, as Draco insisted – wasn't the most practical of things.

Kissing was easiest done standing up, otherwise Harry had to sit on Draco's tail – which Draco didn't like – or Harry would be underneath Draco – which ultimately lead to Harry's legs going numb from the weight of the tail. The same went for sharing a bed, and though they hadn't yet reached the sexual stage of the relationship, Harry imagined that they would run into the same issues there.

They managed though, in between periods of intense research. Draco had decided that Hermione – and now Pansy – weren't working hard enough, so had sent off for rare tomes to study, which Harry had to help translate for him.

Harry found it suspicious that Draco could hardly read English, but Draco still insisted that he was not part-snake and had simply been hexed, despite all the evidence mounting up against him.

But through all the awkwardness and hard work, there had been advantages to dating Draco.

Harry had finally been able to sleep through the night while he awkwardly shared a bed with Draco. He still had nightmares, but they were less frequent and he didn't tend to wake up screaming from them. Draco had a habit of curling the tip of his tail around Harry's legs, and though it had been odd at first, Harry now found the gesture comforting.

They were working well together, even though it wasn't easy. But they both liked a challenge, and the benefits were well received.

Harry closed his eyes as he felt Draco slither up behind him and wrap his tail around Harry's legs. Draco had uncoiled his tail to make himself taller – usually they were the same height, but Draco had taken to making himself just a little bit taller than Harry to get one up on him.

Draco dropped his head to Harry's neck, placing a gentle kiss on his skin, while his arms wound around Harry' waist.

It felt wonderful, and Harry felt his cock growing hard at the touch.

Draco's hands slid across Harry's stomach, and then further down, but they pulled away harshly when they met Harry's erection beneath his trousers.

"Draco?" Harry asked in concern, twisting himself round in Draco's hold. "What's wrong?"

Draco had shut his eyes now, and Harry imagined that he must be struggling to hold back his emotions.

"I can't do this to you," Draco murmured quietly. His arms tightened around Harry despite his words.

"Do what to me?" Harry asked in confusion. "I told you, I don't care what you look like."

"We only just manage _physically_ as it is," Draco answered with a sigh, as if it was obvious. "We could have the emotional side of a relationship – we _are_ having that – but eventually you're going to want sex. Hell, _I'll_ want sex, and I don't know if we'll last when I can't offer you that."

"Sex is good, but not that good that I'd leave you if you can't offer it," Harry said with a small laugh. Was that all Draco was worried about? Then a sudden thought struck him. "Do you have an, err…" he trailed off, dropping his gaze to the smooth, glimmering scales of Draco's tail.

"I have a penis, yes," Draco answered hotly. "Two, in fact."

Harry gasped in surprise, choking on the air he swallowed. "Two?" he managed to grind out. "Where are they?"

He realised he was blushing like a virgin school girl, and hastily dragged his gaze back up to Draco's eyes, which were still closed. A smile had crossed Draco's face for a fleeting moment, however, and Harry was glad he caught it.

"They're hidden in my tail," Draco explained, and Harry couldn't help but look down. "I don't think I could use both at once but….besides, the logistics of it might be rather difficult. For one thing, you'd always have to bottom. And the positioning would be hard to get right – we might only be able to manage one position and-"

"Draco," Harry said, cutting into the rant. "I said I like you as you are, and I mean that. Sex might be tricky, yes, but we'll get to that when we get to that point – I'm sure we'll work out a way to make it comfortable for the both of us."

Draco snorted, and finally opened his eyes. The glow was pulsing gently, but the controlling elements of it were gone.

"You're one-of-a-kind, you know that?" Draco smiled. "I think I like that."

*

"Have you been talking to Luna?" Hermione queried suspiciously. "Nagas don't exist."

"He matches the signs of it," Harry said boldly, glancing at Draco who was looking particularly miserable. After several more failed potions and spells, curiosity had gotten the better of Draco and he had done some more in-depth research into Nagas. He was now sure that he was one and he'd be stuck as a half-snake forever, and he hadn't taken the news very happily.

"Like what?" Hermione asked. Although Hermione liked to stick firmly with truths and facts, she couldn't help but be intrigued by things she knew little about.

"Well apart from the snake tail and snake characteristics, he matches other things from the version in Wizarding mythology. The mind control was used by Nagas when they needed to trap humans who were over-fishing or polluting the water, and Draco has an uncontrolled version of that. Plus his skin on his torso is slightly blue, so he isn't entirely human up there either. _And_ he had distant family in India, which is where the Naga myths originate from."

Hermione was quiet for a moment as she considered it.

"So are you saying his situation's hopeless?" she asked in a hushed tone, casting a pitying gaze over Draco.

"No!" Harry protested. "I know it seems it, but if you're open to something different, that could be a new angle to try."

Hermione sighed. "I guess it's worth a try."

**Two Years Later**

"Are you almost ready, Harry?" Draco called as he slithered into the lounge. "Pansy and Hermione will be waiting."

"You try moving quickly with a baby growing inside you," Harry retorted hotly, feeling his irritation fade away as Draco kissed his cheek.

Despite the massive amounts of research they had done, nobody could manage to work out a cure for Draco. Eventually, Hermione declared that Draco was in fact a Naga, and the change was most likely triggered by the Animagus transfiguration.

It had been difficult at first. Draco had gone into a deep depression, distraught at the thought of never being human again. But with Harry's help, he had begun to accept his new life, and took it all in his stride.

Harry took a Muggle course in teaching so he could teach Draco English, and their relationship grew more intense and passionate as time went on.

Needless to say, they had worked out a way to comfortably have sex, but the baby had been a surprise. It turned out that Naga were able to reproduce with a partner of either gender, as a way of ensuring that their race continued. Hermione was taking care of Harry's pregnancy, and he trusted her with his life.

Hermione had found love with Pansy around the same time as Harry and Draco had, and they helped Draco by giving him a place other than his house to be. Despite his steady acceptance of his new self, Draco was still afraid of what the public would think to him so he didn't venture far.

The furthest he went were the fields surrounding their cottage – it was in one of those fields that their baby had been conceived on a warm summer's day.

There was only a month and a half to go until the baby was born, and Draco was worried the baby would be full Naga. Harry didn't mind what his baby looked like – he would love it, no matter what.

"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked, smiling at Harry gently.

"Just about us…" Harry answered, kissing Draco tenderly, "and how much I love you."

"I love you, too," Draco said, resting his forehead against Harry's. "I'd never have survived this without you."

**Author's Note:**

> You can leave a comment here or on [Livejournal](http://hd-erised.livejournal.com/31322.html). ♥


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